Biography

David Swinson was Head Chorister at Magdalen College, Oxford, before studying piano and organ at The Royal College of Music and then Music as Organ Scholar at Jesus College, Cambridge. Musical distinctions during this period included five RCM prizes, a scholarship from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, and his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists.

Since graduation David has enjoyed a busy career as a teacher, conductor, pianist and organist. As an organist, he has given recitals throughout Europe and in the USA, including at The Cathedral of St John the Divine, New York, St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Cathedrals, London, and King’s College, Cambridge. He was thrilled to perform in the International Organ Festival in Oliwa, Gdansk, in 2023 and returned to Poland in 2025 to play in Frombork Cathedral. David has appeared as an accompanist on numerous recordings and as a soloist on the Father Willis organ in Oxford Town Hall and was a finalist in the Royal College of Organists Performer of the Year Competition.

David was Director of Trinity Boys Choir from 2001 to 2024 and established the choir as the busiest professional boys’ choir in the UK. The choir is frequently invited to perform on TV and Radio, including for Strictly Come Dancing and the Royal Variety Performance, at the BBC Proms, and in operas at the world’s most prestigious theatres. The choir has recently performed in China, Italy, Japan, Austria, Finland, Holland (at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam), Mexico, Germany, Norway and Poland. The choir’s recording ‘A Cappella’ was voted CD of the Month by Organists Review; Ludford’s Missa Dominica was Recording of the Month in MusicWeb International; Refugium was Critic’s Choice for American Record Review, and A Tudor Christmas was a seasonal recommendation for BBC Music Magazine. In collaboration with Trinity Boys Choir, he has assisted many of the world’s leading conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Kurt Masur, Mark Elder, John Eliot Gardiner, Paul McCreesh and Jiri Belohlavek.

David has directed the music on more than 30 major film scores, including Disney’s Maleficent and The Hunger Games, and has worked with artists as diverse as Michael Bublé, James Blunt, Florence + The Machine, Nick Cave, Sam Smith and Andrea Bocelli. In 2016 he was invited by Queen to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bohemian Rhapsody by re-imagining the song for boys’ choir. The resulting video has received over 180,000 views on Queen’s youtube channel.

David is Director Emeritus of Trinity Boys Choir and Music Advisor for the Worshipful Company of Woolmen and has a busy diary as an organist, pianist and conductor. He frequently organises musical events in the City of London for various livery companies and has recently given choral workshops in the UK and Germany.

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Outside music, David loves books, mountains, running, Liverpool FC and rice pudding.